Republicans in the Pennsylvania General Assembly have had work requirements for Medicaid recipients on their wish list for the past couple of years. After passing both chambers of the legislature in 2017 and 2018, the proposals were vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf, who believed the requirement would be costly and penalize people who need access to health care.

Still, despite two failed attempts, Pennsylvania Republicans believe work requirements are necessary to encourage able-bodied Medicaid recipients to find jobs, prompting two Republican senators to try again this session.

Sponsored by Rep. Mike Tobash (R-Schuylkill), HB 1659 requires the Department of Human Services seek approval from the General Assembly before asking for a work requirement waiver for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Another day, another ideological slugfest over a platform issue in an election year.

The House Health committee approved two bills, both reforming the state’s welfare system, Tuesday afternoon after more than two hours of debate among representatives. The votes also came a day after a partisan debate on Speaker of the House Mike Turzai's (R-Allegheny) bill to ban justifying an abortion with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome.